Alameda County parcel inspection dog “Cosmo” and handler Lisa Sampson recently worked together to detect an unmarked package of limes from Florida at an Oakland US Postal Service facility. The shipment was found to be infected with Citrus Canker.
These are the limes. Citrus Canker is a bacterial disease of citrus trees that can cause premature leaving and fruit drop. It is prevalent in Florida but is not established in California.
Learn more about the California Dog Teams.
California Department of Food And Agriculture Secretary Karen Ross addressed a delegation of Cochran fellows from the United Mexican States on Friday morning.
California Department of Food And Agriculture (CDFA) Secretary Karen Ross addressed a delegation of Cochran fellows from the United Mexican States this morning at CDFA headquarters in Sacramento. Ross spoke on the importance of bolstering the relationship between Mexico and California and emphasized the need for international collaboration in combating climate change. The delegation, which was composed of public and private representatives from Mexico, visited CDFA to learn more about the agency’s climate smart agricultural programs housed in the Office of Environmental Farming and Innovation (OEFI).
By Lauren Tousignant
The United States could be using the metric system — the universal system of measurement that every industrialized nation uses except the U.S. — if it wasn’t for a bunch of pirates 224 years ago.
French philosophers developed the metric system in Paris in the late 18th century to make trade easier and calculations simpler. They sent an aristocrat and fellow academic, Joseph Dombey, to the U.S. in 1793 to meet with then Secretary of State, Thomas Jefferson, according to the Washington Post.
At the time, the U.S. was desperate for some semblance of a measurement system. In his first State of the Union address, George Washington called the need for a standard unit of measurement “an object of great importance.”
Jefferson was appointed to make this happen. Since France had recently helped the U.S. win the Revolutionary War, the philosophers believed Dombey could easily persuade Jefferson to convince Congress to adopt the new system.
The metric system was then made up of two standards of measurement — a rod that measured one meter and a copper cylinder that weighed one kilogram. Dombey traveled with both items.
But on his way across the Atlantic, Dombey’s ship hit a nasty storm and he ended up in the Caribbean where pirates captured him. He died in prison shortly after.
By the time France sent someone else to the U.S., Edmond Randolph had become Secretary Of State and he didn’t really care about what measurements were used.
Though the metric system has, nevertheless, slowly made its way into American life — we buy soda in liters and U.S. companies conduct international trade using meters — we’re still kilometers, er, miles behind the rest of the world.
“The Dombey event is probably a bit of a footnote to history,” Keith Martin, a research librarian at the National Institute of Standards and Technology, told the Washington Post. But had Dombey completed his journey, “it could have made a big difference.”
CDFA secretary Karen Ross today visited Sacramento’s Capitol Mall Farmers’ Market to kickoff the annual State Employees Food Drive. Consumers were welcome to purchase fruits and vegetables and donate them to the Sacramento Food Bank & Family Services. Secretary Ross is chair of the food drive.
California, with $2.9 billion in certified organic sales, continued to lead the nation in certified sales, accounting for 38 percent of the U.S. total in 2016. It also had the largest share of certified organic acres and farms. Three states had more than 1,000 certified farms: California (2,713), Wisconsin (1,276), and New York (1,059).
Ten states accounted for 77 percent of U.S. certified organic sales, virtually the same share as in 2015 and 2014.
Crops accounted for 56 percent of the sale of certified organic production; livestock, poultry, and their products accounted for 44 percent. Organic production encompasses a wide range of commodities, including livestock and poultry products (primarily milk and eggs), with 2016 sales of $2.2 billion; vegetables, $1.6 billion; fruits, tree nuts, and berries, $1.4 billion; livestock and poultry, $1.2 billion; and field crops, $763 million.
The top commodities in 2016 were:
Other top organic crops were strawberries, grapes, tomatoes, corn, potatoes, hay, spinach, and mushrooms.
NASS (the USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service) conducted the 2016 Certified Organic Survey in conjunction with USDA’s Risk Management Agency (RMA). “RMA relies on the information to expand crop insurance options and set price elections for organic production, “said RMA Acting Administrator Heather Manzano.
The survey is a census of all known U.S. farmers and ranchers with certified organic production in 2016. Producers must meet the standards set out by USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service’s National Organic Program and be certified compliant by an approved agent of the program. Survey results are available at www.nass.usda.gov/organics or the Quick Stats database at https://quickstats.nass.usda.gov.
By Robert Rodriguez
Lousy milk prices spoiled Tulare County’s chances of holding on to its title as the state’s No.1 agriculture county.
Marilyn Kinoshita, Tulare County agricultural commissioner, delivered the bad news to the Board of Supervisors Tuesday. The county’s total production value for 2016 tumbled 8 percent to $6.3 billion.
That crop value wasn’t enough to keep Kern County from seizing the top spot with a total agriculture value of $7.2 billion. It was a record for Kern County and put them in the No. 1 position for the first time. Strong markets for grapes, almonds and citrus, helped push the county to the top.
Tulare County may be the leading dairy county in the state but that’s also part of the reason it slipped to No. 2, just ahead of Fresno County, which had a total crop value of $6.1 billion.
Full article: “Kern County lands top spot in Ag Production for first time” from the Fresno Bee
CDFA joins the USDA in reminding all travelers this fall to make sure they’re not carrying invasive species with them. Destructive pests may tag along for the ride and, undetected, begin to infest regions where natural defenses don’t exist. US agriculture loses an estimated $13 billion a year due to these pests and, more broadly, all invasive species cost the US an estimated $120 billion annually. For more information visit the HungryPests and Don’t Pack a Pest web sites.
By Adele Peters
In Shanghai, a prototype of a new 24-hour convenience store has no staff, no registers, and the whole thing is on wheels, designed to eventually drive itself to a warehouse to restock, or to a customer to make a delivery.
The startup behind it believes that it’s the model for the grocery store of the future–and because it’s both mobile and far cheaper to build and operate than a typical store, it could also help bring better access to groceries to food deserts and rural areas.
For consumers, it’s designed to be an easier way to shop. To use the store, called Moby, you download an app and use your phone to open the door. A hologram-like AI greets you, and, as you shop, you scan what you want to buy or place it in a smart basket that tracks your purchases. Then you walk out the door; instead of waiting in line, the store automatically charges your card when you leave (Amazon is testing a similar system).
The tiny shop will stock fresh food and other daily supplies, and if you want something else you can order it using the store’s artificial intelligence. The packages will be waiting when you return to shop the next time. When autonomous vehicles are allowed on roads, the store could also show up at your home, and the company is also testing a set of drones to make small deliveries.
Full article: “A look at a grocery store of the future” from FastCompany.com
By Robert Rodriguez
Can Kern County, home of Buck Owens, oil wells and tumbleweeds, dethrone Tulare County as the No. 1 agriculture county in the state, and possibly the nation?
It could happen. And if it does, it will be a first for the south San Joaquin Valley county.
Who becomes the undisputed agriculture champion will be revealed on Tuesday. That’s the day Marilyn Kinoshita, Tulare County’s agricultural commissioner, delivers the 2016 crop report to her board of supervisors.
Tulare County will have to do better than Kern County’s $7.2 billion to keep its No. 1 ranking.
As the nation’s leading milk producer, Tulare County has led the state in overall crop values for the last several years, stripping that title from Fresno County, the one-time ag champ.
For years, the two counties shared a friendly rivalry over who would come out on top. But California’s four-year drought took a heavy toll on Fresno County as farmers fallowed thousands of acres or shifted production to counties with more reliable water supplies.
Last year Tulare was on top with a total value of $6.9 billion.
Full article: “Kern County makes a run at top Ag producer in California” from the Fresno Bee
By Julia Mitric
The Asian citrus psyllid spreads the deadly bacterial disease known as huanglongbing to citrus trees.
That disease cut Florida’s citrus crop in half over the past decade according to Bob Blakely with industry group California Citrus Mutual.
A recent USDA citrus report finds California produced nearly four million tons of citrus over the 2016-17 season. Florida produced three and a half million tons over the same period.
“This is a case where it’s not nice to be number one,” says Blakely ruefully.
“It’s unfortunate when you think about where they’ve come from and how devastating that disease has been in Florida.”
Florida’s experience with huanglongbing or “citrus greening” provided a powerful cautionary tale for California farmers.
While the pest has been found in many California counties, the disease is far more limited.
Blakely says cooperative spraying is one strategy used to limit the psyllid.
“We encourage growers to coordinate their sprays over wide areas with their neighbors to control the pest,” explains Blakely.
The idea is to prevent the psyllid from moving out of the treated area and re-populating nearby.
The Asian citrus psyllid feeds on citrus foliage.
Blakely says growers are now required to tarp citrus loads before they leave the field to keep the psyllid from hopping off trucks and spreading to citrus trees along the highway.
Citrus growers are looking for ways to limit the spread of the pest until researchers find a cure for huanglongbing.
The original post and the audio link are on the Capital Public Radio site here.
More information about the Asian citrus psyllid and huanglongbing is available on CDFA’s website here.
